By Clyde Hughes
D3sports.com
A new football season always brings new hope for teams trying to win their first championship and established teams trying to hand on to a winning tradition.
The same is true for the Midwest region. There are a few new faces in new conferences, but most will be trying to re-establish their dominance and reach the playoffs again.
Here are the Top 10 games to watch against as the newcomers try to dethrone the champions while the kingpins try to the put the upstarts in their place.
Three of my 10 games to watch in the Midwest involve No. 15 North Central, the highest-ranking Midwest team in the poll.
Sept. 6: Baldwin-Wallace at Franklin.
Franklin comes in ranked No. 21, but will be looking for some measure of respect for itself and the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Baldwin-Wallace (6-4 last year) is a strong Ohio Athletic Conference team that will give the defending HCAC champs all it can handle. This game is one of the first contests out of the shoot, but could be looked at when playoff time comes around when strengths of conference is being determined.
Sept. 13: Ohio Northern at North Central.
This is the first of three times No. 15 North Central appears in the Midwest Region’s games to watch. The Cardinals, 9-3 last year, will face Ohio Athletic Conference stalwart Ohio Northern. The Polar Bears are one of the favorites in arguably one of the best conferences in all of Division III football and the game could be seen as contest for respectability in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
Sept. 13: Mount St. Joseph at Lakeland.
Mount St. Joseph (9-2) managed to make the playoffs despite being knocked off the top of the HCAC last year by Franklin. The Lions will have to travel to Sheboygan, Wis. to take on one of the favorites of the new Northern Athletic Conference who would like to gain some positive points by beating a team that has been ranked in the Top 25.
Oct. 4: Huntingdon at Greenville.
Both teams are expected to fight for the first-ever St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. Both teams were 5-5 in 2007.
Oct. 11: Monmouth at St. Norbert.
St. Norbert (10-1) is still king of Midwest Conference and hasn’t lost a conference game since 2005. Ironically, that last loss came at the hands of Monmouth (7-3) at DePere, Wis. Monmouth, behind quarterback Alex Tanney, will have the firepower to challenge the Green Knights again.
Oct. 25: North Central at Wheaton.
This is the first of pivotal back-to-back games for North Central that could determine the CCIW title. No. 17 Wheaton was 8-2 last year, losing both of those games in conference play after a strong start. Wheaton suffered a run of injuries last year that kept them from being a full strength and the Thunder feels it can get back on top.
Oct. 25: Franklin at Mount St. Joseph.
This will be the showdown for the HCAC title for the second year in a row. Chad Rupp, the returning HCAC offensive player-of-the-year returns but the Lions will have the advantage of playing this game at home in Cincinnati and this one will come down to the wire like it did in 2007.
Nov. 1: Illinois Wesleyan at North Central.
Upstart Illinois Wesleyan (7-3, 6-1) surprised the CCIW last year with a strong season and tying for the conference title. If it wants another shot, they will have to beat the Cardinals on the road near the end of the season to do it.
Nov. 8: Concordia (Wis.) at Lakeland.
The rivalry between the Falcons (7-4 in 2007) and the Muskies (6-4 last year) moves from the Illini Badger Conference to the new Northern Athletic Conference but expect both back at the top of the standings. Concordia’s strong running game dominated last year’s contest but expect a strong pushback from Lakeland.
Nov. 8: Carnegie Mellon at Case Western Reserve.
No. 19 Case Western is coming off its best season ever (11-1), capturing the University Athletic Association title and advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Carnegie Mellon is just one year removed from a similar run, including a second round playoff and wants to get back on top.
